Schaffer is extremely well-versed in history and that's often reflected in his lyrics about warfare, battles, politics, and historical themes. In 'Black Flag' the lyrics actually allude to something that was quite commonplace; that is, privateers turning to piracy after a war ended and their "Letters of Marque" ceased to be legally recognized. (Privateering was, in essence, legalized piracy sanctioned by a government and was a very old, time-tested form of commerce raiding/economic warfare.) That was how Blackbeard and many other captains less remembered today became notorious pirates. Edward Teach and his crew had been privateers during the War of the Spanish Succession/Queen Anne's War. There's considerable accuracy and attention to detail in Iced Earth songs like 'Gettysburg', 'Clear The Way', 'Waterloo', 'Red Baron', 'Attila', 'Valley Forge', 'Declaration Day,' etc.